Baba Sehgal’s back

Self-professed ‘King of Rap’ Baba Sehgal returns to the music scene with a single titled Mumbai City.

musicUpdated: Jul 07, 2012 16:37 IST

Megha Mahindru Hindustan Times

Ludhiana boy Baba Sehgal calls himself a Mumbai-phile. In 2006, he released a much-delayed tribute to the city, Welcome To Mumbai and now he’s back with a single called Mumbai City.

Wearing his trademark vest, Baba’s seen flexing his muscles in the video. The rap number features standard shots of the city’s skyline and local trains, with an odd CSI-styled sample of police sirens chopped in.

What makes it amusing is the heavy dose of his characteristic Hindi-English pairings — Phone And Loan with 7 Bungalow Ka Bon Bon, Aish with Hash, Bachchan Ka Bangla with a Pagla.

Here are five questions with the returning rapper.

Do you prefer being called Baba or Sehgal?My name is Harjeet. Babboo was my nickname. My name was too long so I thought of something that would click. Now everyone calls me Baba.

So Baba, where have you been? I’m a powerhouse singer in the South. I’ve sung some of their biggest hits. Recently I recorded for Gabbar Singh, the Telugu version of Dabangg. People in Bollywood thought that I could only rap. Now the Meet Brothers and Vishal Shekhar have approached me for Bollywood, so I’ll be back.

Tell us about Mumbai City.It’s a city of opportunities. I wanted to keep the positive feel while talking about its negativity. It’s a dark song, shot in a warehouse in Andheri.

Aside from a female singer, there’s a distinct lack of PYTs in this song. Why?I will feature pretty young girls when I can afford them! This song didn’t need them. I wanted to feature the singer, Tarannum.

You dress up as a woman and have a tattoo for your next single, Snoop Baba. What motivates you?I still have the same passion I had back in 1992. Now I plan to release a song every month. For Mumbai city, I worked out vigorously, focusing on my triceps and biceps. And Snoop Baba will see me with a dragon tattoo on my forehead, since it goes with its cool image.

What’s next?I’m starting my own academy in Hyderabad this October, with courses in rapping, dancing, DJ-ing and graffiti. It will be affiliated with the New York Hip-Hop Academy.